(ERGO) – Twelve-year-old Abdirahman Mohamed Nur is out every day earning money sharpening knives to support his parents and siblings, whilst trying to balance work with his school education and Koranic studies.
The family, living in Hamdi IDP camp in Kismayo, Lower Juba region, were short of food as his mother is disabled and can’t work and his 75-year-old father is also unemployed.
“The reason I work and suffer is to provide for my parents and siblings so that they don’t need to ask other people for food, and I’m happy about that,” Abdirahman told Radio Ergo’s local reporter.
The boy has been earning $6 to $7 a day since he took up sharpening knives in January. The manual grinding machine, which doesn’t require electricity or fuel, was purchased for $270 by a relative of his mother.
He pushes the machine through the neighbourhoods and streets of Kismayo, shouting out his availability to sharpen domestic and other utensils. Despite the challenges, Abdirahman is determined to meet his family’s needs.
“Some people I work for tell me I didn’t sharpen the knife properly, so they don’t give me any money,” Abdirahman explained. “Others tell me they will come back later but never do. Some refuse to pay me if I return the next day or they even hide from me. I usually go to the market, restaurants, hotels, and butchers to work, sharpening up to 20 knives a day.”
He knows that children his age ideally should not work, but his family’s circumstances have forced him to take on adult responsibilities.
“My mother is disabled and has no help. I am the eldest son in the family, that’s why I work. I want to educate my family, give them understanding, and help them develop,” he said.
Abdirahman works all week but earns only enough for two meals a day for his family. He attends Dayax Primary and Secondary School, a free school for children from displaced and poor families.
“I couldn’t continue my education like other people because I have to go to work. I go to school at six in the morning, leave at eight, then go out to work until noon.
I don’t get a chance to write the exercises. If you go to work and have to think about how to get food for your family, you won’t manage to understand anything well.”
His mother, Janaay Mohamed Enow, 45, lost the use of her legs due to contracting childhood polio at the age of eight. She used to beg for one meal a day for the family.
“I am very happy with my son’s work for us,” Janaay said. “He works hard for us so that we don’t have to beg people. May God bless him and make him successful in his efforts.”
The knife-sharpening machine was made by a relative and brought from Nairobi. Janaay explained that the machine is not available in Kismayo, and it has brought timely support during their difficult situation.
Janaay, a mother of five, was displaced with her family to Kismayo in 2007 due to drought affecting her eight-hectare farm in Maganbow, Lower Juba region. She has struggled to settle, lacking adequate shelter, food, and water during her 18 years of displacement.
Many children have dropped out of school to work for their parents, but Janaay hopes for a better future for Abdirahman while acknowledging his current necessity to support the family.
